Climate and Environment Prize Winners 2025
Gloucestershire Village of the Year - results in detail
A great deal is talked about the environment and sustainability, and the various councils in Gloucestershire have declared Climate Emergencies. This Gloucestershire Village of the Year category, sponsored by Cotswold District Council, Stroud District Council, and Tewkesbury Borough Council, looked at how our communities are engaging with these issues.
What was it about the prize-winning villages in this category that so impressed the judges? Read on to find out!
Winner - Painswick
Painswick (in Stroud District) won the £2,000 first prize in the Climate and Environment (Resilience) category of Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2025.
The high level of community engagement in this village extends to environmental sustainability, promotion of biodiversity, and development of long-term strategies for the natural environment.
Initiatives include volunteer litter-picking, bee and bug hotels, bat and bird nesting boxes, hedgehog awareness, toad patrol, wildlife corridors, the annual butterfly count and Big Garden Birdwatch, bird identification walks, tree walks, and natural flood management. A community-led conservation group maintains a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest in the parish.
The Parish Council manages a woodland area, and is actively aiming to reduce carbon emissions by fitting LED lighting on timers, using of Hive heating in community buildings, and the installation of EV charging points to facilitate adoption of low-emission vehicles.
In terms of resilience, the Parish Emergency Plan, Flood and Snow Wardens, and the Community Support Group's identification of vulnerable residents combine to ensure the village is well-placed to respond to emergencies and support local residents.
The judges were impressed by the evidence of dynamic volunteering in the village, which encompasses multiple elements of environmental sustainability and community preparedness.
Runner-up - Highnam
Highnam (in Tewkesbury Borough) won the £1,000 runner-up prize in the Climate and Environment (Resilience) category of Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2025.
The judges were struck by the strength and breadth of environmental work in evidence in the village, with volunteers actively managing local woods to maintain paths and clear woodland, planting a butterfly crescent and wildflowers on grass verges throughout the village to promote biodiversity, planting a community orchard, and also planning for a community pond.
Birdboxes were introduced throughout the village with the aid of the Cub Scouts. The village conducts an annual butterfly count and the Big Garden Birdwatch, promotes hedgehog awareness, holds fungi identification walks, and actively works to develop wildlife habitats in the village. A Community Payback Scheme co-managed by the Parish Council with the Probation Service undertakes repair and environmental improvement schemes.
The judges felt that the village distinguishes itself as a climate- and nature-focused community, with visible leadership and engagement in this field. It impressed the judges as a community where environmental action is at the heart of daily life and visibly integrated into the community’s identity.
